Thursday, December 30, 2010

After a busy few weeks leading up to Christmas, I have spent the last week relaxing in the Nelson sunshine with family. I always enjoy coming up here in the summer, and am feeling much more refreshed and relaxed now.

This Saturday, the 1st January, I will be at the Nelson Saturday Market, from 8am till 1pm in the Montgomery Square carpark. As a well known market in my home town, it's one I've been wanting to do for a longtime, so I'm looking forward to it. If you're also in Nelson at the moment, do pop down and say hi, it's always nice to meet blog readers.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The past year has been rather event-filled, to say the least! At the beginning of the year, I was hoping that 2010 would be an improvement on 2009. I'm not so sure that it was an improvement, but it has definitely been action packed. Things have had quite a shake up, both figuratively and literally.

Firstly, I was diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in February. This wasn't so bad, as it provided answers to why I kept getting sick last year, and I had known for a couple of months that a positive diagnosis was highly likely. I have got into the swing of things now, and am loving the fact there are so many gluten free options available in Christchurch. I have added some great recipes to my repertoire, including anzac biscuits and bread. There is also a scone recipe still to come.

Two weeks later I was made redundant from my graphicdesign job. This wasn't much fun, as I had got quite attached the regular income it provided. I still miss it a lot. Within the following few weeks, I realised finding another (similar) job was going to be very difficult, as the economy had given the entire industry quite a knock. I had thought about going out on my own, and after talking to a life coach about it, decided to dive in head first.

This was quite scary, and it has had it's ups and downs. I got some regular work from Felt, doing support and administration work, as well as the odd graphic design job, and I sold a few candles. I had my first Tea Party, and attended a few markets, including A Craft Affair, and the inaugural Auckland Art and Craft Fair. It was nice to meet some of the other sellers who I felt I already knew from having regularly read their blogs.

Then, early on Saturday the 4th of September, us Cantabrians were rudely awoken by a 7.1 earthquake. I was beginning to wonder what else was going to be thrown at me this year, I had thought losing my job was enough drama for one year! We had lots and lots of aftershocks, and I almost started to get used to them. They have eased off a lot in the last few weeks now, and it feels like things are getting back to normal. We were very fortunate to suffer very little damage, when only blocks away, there was somevery severe damage. Some of these houses still have portaloos now.

In October I travelled to Palmerston North, and then on to Wellington for my debut at Craft 2.0. I had another Tea Party in November, and then some great markets in December, including the Craft Collective's A Craft Christmas Market, and a fun road trip to Hokitika with Srey to the Kiwi Christmas Market. I think I might be due for a holiday now! I will be heading to Nelson on the 23rd December, so my shop will be in holiday mode. As I will be attending the Nelson Market on the 1st January, I will have some stock with me, so may be able to fill some orders.

I would like to thank everyone for all the support and encouragement I have received this year. From the shoppers and retailers who have bought candles, businesses who have offered me work, to the market organisers, attendees and other stallholders, the blog/facebook/twitter readers/followers, all those who have shared lovely encouraging comments, and to my husband, family and friends for all their support.

Next year I hope to build on what I have achieved this year, and grow my business into a sustainable source of income for myself. I would like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas, and a happy and prosperous New Year.

If you're reading this, and lamenting the fact you missed it, don't worry, it's on again this Saturday, the 18th December! Same time – 10am-4pm, and same place – Goodbye Blue Monday, Poplar Lane. There will be a slightly different mix of stallholders this time. They include The Wardrobe, Relique Vintage Jewellery, Freedom Creative, Black Swan designs, PixelBrid, Mudbird NZ, Emilie Berri Switchblade, and many more. It's great opportunity to do some last minute Christmas shopping, or if you're one of those organised people that has already finished, come along and treat yourself to something nice.

Monday, December 13, 2010

On Wednesday I will be setting off on a road trip to Hokitika with Srey from Podflower. We will be taking our wares to sell at the inaugural Kiwi Christmas market in Hokitika, which has been organised by Christine of My 2 Monsters. Markets like A Craft Affair and Craft 2.0 inspired her to create something similar in her home town, so she set about organising the Kiwi Christmas Market. I like that kind of initiative, so thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce my candles to the West Coast.

The market will be held at this magnificent venue, the Carnegie Library Building in Hamilton Street. It is on Wednesday the 15th December, and will run from 5pm – 9pm. I'd love to meet any blog readers/facebook followers, so do say hi if you come along!

Also, there will be a donation box in the foyer for people to donate to the Pike River Relief fund. I watched the events unfold with great sadness, and my thoughts go out to the family and friends of all those involved. It made the earthquake here earlier in the year seem rather insignificant in comparison. Although I'm not from the Coast, I grew up in the Tasman district, which is 'next door' to the Coast, so it did feel close to home. I've been there a few times, and remember visiting the memorial to the miners that died in the Brunner Mine disaster. Once I've covered my costs, I am going to donate a portion of my sales to the fund.

Friday, December 10, 2010

I will be at the Rolleston Community Christmas Market this Sunday, and it will be the last Rolleston market for the year. It will be at a later time this week, running from 2pm – 6pm.

I will have my usual range of products, and I am going to make some Christmas Spice scented soy tins today to give my range a more Christmassy flavour. I have some great deals on some of my older candles which I won't be making any more of once they're gone, so get in quick before you miss out. Most of these specials are also available in my Felt store.

I have four markets on next week, so I apologise in advance if there aren't as many blog posts as usual!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The opening of the annual exhibition of the painting group I attend was held on Saturday at the Bryce Gallery, 122 Riccarton Road. This is my third year exhibiting, and it's a great way to exhibit your work without the pressure of doing a whole exhibition by yourself. As always there are lots of great paintings, in a variety of styles – something for everyone!

Our usual venue, Gallery O in the Arts Centre was damaged in the earthquake, so Maree had to find a new venue. The Bryce Gallery came to the party, and kindly offered us a space in their gallery. There are some other great exhibitions on there at the moment as well, so it's well worht a visit. Vibrations runs until Friday 3rd December.

The black and white wall ran with the earthquake theme, and before all the pictures were straightened, it was decided they fitted the theme better if left that way!

Above is my work for the black and white themed wall, titled 'Mists of Maruia'.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

I have a few events planned over the next few weeks, so I thought it would be helpful to put them all up now, and blog about them in more detail closer to each event. You may notice there is one missing. Some of Christchurch's wonderful historic venues have been damaged in the earthquake, and will take time to repair. This means that the Night Market has been cancelled this year, which is very sad. It will be back again next year though, once the building has been repaired. The annual exhibition of my painting class has also been relocated, as Gallery O in the Arts Centre was also damaged. Fortunately the owners of the Bryce Gallery in Riccarton very kindly offered to help out, and have provided a space for us.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Tea was drunk from the prettiest of teacups, scones were piled high with jam and cream, and a good time was had by all. A big thank you to everyone that came, it's the great company that really makes an event like this a success! I think I may have even found myself a good gluten free scone recipe. I will post it up later in the week for any who is interested.

I launched an improved version of one of my most popular candles, which I will post more detail about when I finally do my way overdue Felt shop update later in the week. I will also post a list of my upcoming markets and events for the rest of the year sometime tomorrow. I hope you're all having a good week!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

After the gorgeous hot sunny day we've had today, there's no doubt in my mind that summer is here. All good kiwi summers involve some time at the beach, and Christchurch is no exception. Sumner is a popular spot, and I popped over for a visit today to drop off some more teacup candles to my newest stockist, Flock.

Flock is a new design store in Sumner, featuring local design and found objects. It's your source of beautiful NZ design with a focus on quality, innovation and sustainability. It's well worth a visit on your next trip to the beach! It can be found at: shop 2 / 43 Nayland Road in Sumner.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Since my foray into outdoor markets this year, I have been investing in various things to make it a bit more fun. Like a heavy duty 3m x3m gazebo, which is really good for keeping the sun and the rain off. So, if you've thought about doing outdoor markets, but aren't so keen to invest in one yourself, I am happy to hire it out to any crafter that may like to use it. Of course I get first dibs, so it won't be available if I have a market on that day! It's also quite heavy, and wouldn't be very economic to post, so you'd need to be able to pick it up from Christchurch.

If you would like to use it, you can email me on rose [at] roseinthorns [dot] co [dot] nz. It will cost $50 for a one day hire, or $70 for the weekend. I will give you instructions on how to put it up. It is quite heavy, but I am not very strong and I can almost put it up by myself, I just need to ask someone to help clip it in near the end. It is a heavy duty gazebo, and is designed to withstand wind gusts of up to 50km/h, but it is not recommend for use in strong winds. So if the forecast is for a gusty nor'wester, it may not be suitable. I also have a couple of trestle tables available as well, one solid one and one that folds in half, which may also be available for hire.

Monday, November 8, 2010

After the success of my first tea party in June, I have decided to hold them twice a year. The next one will be on the 20th November, from 3pm–5pm, at my house in Richmond, Christchurch. Once again there will be vintage teacups, cupcakes, candles and great company. Come along to do some early Christmas shopping, treat yourself, or just enjoy the tea, baking and company. I have lots of new candles, including some outdoor citronella candles, perfect for summer bbqs. I will have my full range of candles, with some great specials, espeically on the older candles! There will also be a selection of lit candles, as they really come alive once they are lit up.

Please RSVP by the 17th November if you wish to attend. This is so I can confirm numbers, and send guests my address. You can RSVP via the facebook event, or by emailing me on rose [at] roseinthorns [dot] co [nz]. Feel free to bring a friend – invite them via facebook, or let me know when RSVPing.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

This weekend I will be attending the Northwood Village Fair. It's the closest one I've done for a while! It is on Sunday, November 7th from 10:30am – 2pm, at Northwood Park. It's an annual event with arts and crafts, music, activities, kids games, and displays. All in all, a great family day out! It is also a fundraising event for Belfast School. Hope to see you there!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

After what felt like a manic week, Craft 2.0 rolled around, and what a fabulous day it was! The Wellington weather even played it's part, which I understand is a bit of a coup...

I enjoyed the chance to show my wares to the crafty connoiseurs of Wellington, and they seemed to like what they saw, with lots of candles finding new homes. I got the chance to catch up with some stallholders I've met before, and meet some new people too! I did a spot of shopping as well, and made a start on my christmas present list, so I won't disclose those items here. I also bought a gorgeous necklace from my neighbour Emma of Freedom Creative – I've been wanting one for ages!

Thanks to Sue and her helpers for organising a great day. Hopefully I'll be back again next year!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

My nationwide tour of Rose in Thorns has picked up from where I left it in July, and is about to arrive in Wellington. I am in Palmerston North right now, and will be heading down to Wellington tomorrow. This is so I can be at my very first Wellington Craft 2.0. I am very excited to be at the home of Craft 2.0, after attending and selling at the Christchurch events. I will be joined by Emma from Freedon Creative, Lucy from Felt, and Mel from Black Swan Designs who are also coming up from Christchurch.

Craft 2.0 is New Zealand's biggest contemporary craft event, and features some great talent from Wellington and beyond. If you're in Wellington, it's well worth the trip to The New Dowse in Lower Hutt. It has expanded upstairs this time, so will be the biggest Craft 2.o ever! There will be a crafting space where you get to make things, a huge prize draw, and free entry too. It's on from 10am - 3pm. If you come along, do say hi, it's always nice to meet readers of my blog!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Thank you for all the lovely comments about my couch. It looks like there is now a waiting list for my skills, and at six years a couch, the next spot should be available in 12 years! I haven't had as many opportunities to sit on it as I would have liked – it's in a completely different part of the house to my candlemaking, and for good reason too!

I've been busy working on some new products, which I hope to debut at the upcoming markets I am attending. The next one is on Monday the 25th of October, at Off the Rails @ Little River Fair with Flair. There will be craft stalls, raffles, children's lucky dips, face painting, live music, pony rides and much more. All of the stall fees have been donated to the Little River Volunteer Fire Brigade.

It should be a great day out. Then I will be getting ready to go to Craft 2.0 in Wellington the following Saturday. I will be going via Palmerston North to visit my brother and sister-in-law, so it should be a nice wee break.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Along with riding around around on my bike in a pink dress over the weekend, I also finished the (seemingly) mammoth task of finishing the new covers for my couch. If you missed the first post, with before pictures, you can read it here. It is a great feeling to finally finish a project that has been going for a long time, over six years I think! Here are the pictures. The light wasn't great for taking photos, so I apologise for the quality.

All the cushions are double sided, which means I can change the look of the couch whenever the mood strikes.

Since the last recover, I replaced the calico on the base of the couch, put on some new feet, replaced the foam chip seat cushions with foam squabs, and replaced the wadding on the back cushions with some recycled wool batting. As well as sewing new covers for the whole thing!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I had bike fixed up in time for Frocks on Bikes on Saturday. I'm not sure how well I did on fitting the tyres and tubes though, as the air didn't stay in them as long as I would have liked. I cycled through town in my pink dress, feeling a little self conscious. That's until Briar arrived on her tandem bicycle adorned with ribbons!

Mel and Lucy (of Black Swan and Felt fame) were also there with their bicyles. Mel even had a wee portable stall setup on the back of her bike. I'm already scheming how I might be able to replicate that on mine... Unfortunately Briar left before I got the chance to photograph her and her daughter on their tandem bike. There were lots of bikes on display, including this very pretty Pashley Princess which I took for a wee test ride.

Earlier in the week I hadn't chosen which dress to wear. Then I remembered a conversation I'd had with Ninotchka of The Wardrobe at the last Crafty Business. While regaling her with stories of my sewing skills, I mentioned that once, a long time ago, I had made a dress without a pattern one evening. I had only worn it that night, and didn't go out until it was finished. Which ended up being about 2am. The design revolved around the length of zip I was able to acquire on a Saturday evening. I searched for a supermarket with a decent haberdashery section, and eventually found one at Woolworths.

So she challenged me to find the dress, see if it still fitted, and put a picture of myself wearing it on my blog. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and wear it to Frocks on Bikes. It isn't the most practical style to bike in, so the leggings were a much needed addition to the outfit. As it wasn't that warm, I added a long sleeved top to the mix as well, so I was secretly a little bit glad it wasn't really hot day. Here are the pictures to prove it, showing front and back!

My winning streak also continued, and I won myself this sweet t-shirt as well. Maybe I should get myself a lotto ticket?

In the days following the earthquake, the Felt community wondered what it could do to help out. After some discussion, the idea for a FeltAid shop was born. Crafters have been donating goods to the shop, which the proceeds from will go to the Red Cross Earthquake Appeal. So far a whopping $4,000 has been raised, and they would love to hit $5000 before the shop closes on the 31st October. Sarah from Songbird Designs and Ana from Amiana have put in a great effort setting up the shop, soliciting donations, listing them, and co-ordinating the sending of goods from the donaters to the purchashers. Felt has also stepped in and offered no commission and free listings for the shop.

I have recently submitted a donation, as I thought it is a great cause and wanted to help out. You can help out too by browsing through the shop and purchasing some christmas presents, or perhaps a wee treat for yourself. If you would like to donate something, head along to the blog for more details.

About Me

I am a freelance graphic designer and crafter. I make lots of things, with a focus on sustainability. I currently sell handmade candles, and have plans to extend my range.
If you'd like to drop me a line, you can email me from the link on my profile page.